Basset
/ˈbæs.ɪt/noun
A short-legged breed of hound, especially one used for tracking by scent.
Did you know?Basset comes through French from a word for “low,” so the name is basically a medieval height report: not magic, just brutally honest taxonomy.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*bʰad-
“to step, go, or tread”
Latin
Latin
bassus
“thick, stunted, low”
Old French
Old French
bas
“low, short”
Middle French
French
basset
“a small or short one; especially a short-legged hound”
16th Century
English
basset
“a short-legged hound, especially for hunting by scent”
Modern English
English
basset
“a short-legged breed of hound”